Orion cellar beer system: all the
benefits, none of the hassle
Orion, Heineken's new
250 to 500-litre modular
tank beer system, is set to
revolutionise draught beer
delivery in medium-sized
outlets. It offers all the
benefits of a cellar beer
installation, with none of
the hassle.
World of Heineken 38 - summer 2008
"Everything can be done using the control
panel, which means that bar staff do not have
to leave the bar to monitor the beer," says
Doron Wijnschenk, of the Beer Systems team.
"Everything is fully automated: temperature
control, changing tanks, cleaning, even
replenishment. No kegs, no carbon dioxide."
Heineken is the undisputed leader in tap
technology today. BeerTender and the David
on-premise system are two of Heineken's
best-known innovations in beer serving
solutions. Now Heineken's innovations experts
have has added Orion, released earlier this
year, to the list. The innovation was launched
in the Netherlands. Other European markets
will follow this summer.
Aimed at venues with an annual output
between 70 and 150hl, Orion has a huge
potential market. Until now, mid-sized venues
have been ill equipped to benefit from the
installation of a full-fledged cellar beer
system. Traditional tank beer systems are
difficult to install and require substantial
investment to make them cost efficient. This
has excluded this solution for all but the
largest on-premise retailers.
However, Orion is easy to install, thus making
the advantages of cellar beer technology
available to many more Heineken customers.
Doron says that Orion is a revolution in
product delivery that is at least as significant
as earlier breakthroughs. "Wooden barrels
were the norm in the beer industry for
centuries," he says. "After that came the
metal keg. The introduction of cellar beer
installations in the 1980s brought the one
way concept."
One-way beer supply, meaning there were no
more kegs or carbon dioxide canister to be
returned to the brewery. A major advantage
in logistics and efficiency that up until now
was only available to a small group of outlets
with very large volumes. With Orion, that will
no longer be the case. It will be a game-
changer in the beer industry, Doron thinks:
"Cellar beer will be available to everyone."
Orion at a glance
Tank size 250 and/or 500 litres
One to four counter mounts
Integrated air compressor unit
Automated cleaning
250 litre tank size 79x95x185 cm
Reduced beer loss
doron.wijnschenk@heineken.com
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